Amongst Snowcovered Flowers
by ANBUShizuka
Summary: Her inner world is private- a break from everything- and secluded. Only herself and her zanpakuto know of it. But one day, she gets a visitor. And so does her zanpakuto. UnoIsa MinaIte


_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, all right? If I did, there would be less subtext and a lot more yuri. Just saying._

_A/N: Nothing for now...just a small scene featuring Retsu, Isane, Minazuki and Itegumo. With yuri and yaoi. Go ahead and take a wild guess at the pairings, friends. I made this a tiny birthday fic :)_

[X]

Snow-capped mountains loomed in the dream-like scape of the fukutaicho's inner world and a thick layer of snow covered the ground. Next to the ice-encased lake, there sat a polar bear. At the sound of snow crunching not too far away, he snapped his great white head and peered into the distance with his glittering black eyes. He nearly smiled, his mouth twitching as he greeted, "Isane-chan. I've been wondering when I'd see you again."

"Hello, Itegumo-kun." The silver-haired woman smiled softly at her zanpakuto before sitting next to him, the snow around her feet spinning away and vanishing to leave a small patch of fresh green grass. Itegumo propped himself up behind the shinigami, sitting with his rear legs on either side of her. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you recently. We recently had quite the problem with several high-ranking zanpakuto turning on us and wreaking havoc on the Seireitei." She gave a weak smile, murmuring, "I'm actually rather glad you weren't among them."

"I have no reason to turn on you. You treat me with the utmost respect, despite the fact that you don't use me as often as I think you should," the polar bear replied, a low growl escaping as he emphasized the last part. Seeing the timid girl wince, Itegumo leaned over to rest his massive head on her shoulder. He nuzzled her neck gently, urging her to pet the course white fur. "You have great potential to be a fighter. You certainly have the headstrong attitude. It's just buried deep inside."

"I'm _so_ far from headstrong, Ite-kun." Isane giggled as her zanpakuto heaved a contented sigh once her hand came up to gently stroke his snout.

"This coming from the girl who rushes headlong into battles she's almost pathetically overpowered in," he chuckled. Suddenly, the polar bear snapped his head up again, turning to look off in the distance. "We have company."

"Huh? But how, Itegumo-kun?" inquired the grey-eyed healer. She shifted, following his line of sight. "This is my private world. How could anyone else get in?"

"If it's someone you love and trust deeply, they are allowed to travel between their inner world and yours. But you must share a deep connection with this person," the bear retorted. Then, blinking, he let his gaze fall back to his wielder and asked, "What about that woman you like so much?"

Isane's face flushed, growing red almost instantaneously. She stammered, "D-don't say it like th-that, Ite-kun! I j-just admire her-"

"You're in love, aren't you, Isa-chan?" teased the bear. He wrapped his arms around her, his paws grazing her sides. She shrieked, wiggling in his grasp. Itegumo lowered his muzzle again, rubbing it playfully against her neck. "Does that tickle, Isa-chan?"

She nodded frantically, squirming in the bear's arms as he stood to full height. He was larger than a normal polar bear, being almost the size of a large horse. "Ite-kun, p-put me down!" Her hands went to scratch behind his ears; in a past visit when she had first gained Itegumo, she had learned that he enjoyed getting a nice scratch- and his downfall was his ears. Promptly, he let out a happy grunt and sat down heavily, setting his wielder down. "Can you tell who it is, Ite-kun?"

"Someone powerful," he rumbled happily. He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder as she continued to scratch his favorite spot. Itegumo added, "Whoever it is, their zanpakuto is guiding them. He seems powerful too. A bit...gentle though, if you ask me."

"Gentle?" Isane pulled away, looking at her zanpakuto in confusion. He had a strange look in his eyes and she backed away as his fur began to ruffle. "Ite-kun?"

He grumbled, almost groggy, "What is this trickery? What's going...why do I feel so dizzy?" With that, the polar bear slumped forward and hit the snow-covered ground, sending a mass of sparkling white snow spiralling into the air. Isane knelt beside the creature, carefully examining him. That was when she noticed his whole body begin to shrink and morph. His fur seemed to dissolve, leaving pale skin behind. His muzzle faded away and left only a human face behind. Slowly, he came to and whimpered, "What was that?" Standing up, he staggered a bit and thrust out his arm to steady himself. Looking over, Itegumo noticed he had a human hand rather than paws. He cried, "What in blue blazes-?" The former polar bear bolted to the edge of the lake and brushed away the frost that had accumulated on the surface. He gave a low, anguished moan upon seeing his reflection. His hair was shaved into a mohawk, leaving the long hair the color of snow and the shaved parts were black. His bangs, which were separate from the mohawk itself, were an icy blue that dangled gently into his coal black eyes. He whimpered, "Isa-chan, what happened to me?"

"It appears, Itegumo-san, that you underwent a similar transformation to my beloved Minazuki," soothed a calming feminine voice. Both Itegumo and Isane whipped their heads around to stare at Unohana Retsu. She smiled softly and asked, "Are you surprised?" She continued towards them, the snow melting around her feet as she walked forward. Glancing over her shoulder, the woman beckoned, "Come now, Minazuki. No need to feel ashamed."

Over the hill came a young man with sea foam green hair. His right eye- as his bangs hung into his left eye- was a startling red and he was rather thin and lanky. He wore a simple royal blue yukata with a red obi around his waist. He said nothing but glanced at Itegumo. A small smile came over his thin lips and he gave a brief wave to the other zanpakuto. Itegumo sat bolt upright, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. He said, "Hey."

Isane also sported a light blush as she bashfully sighed, "Good evening, Unohana-taicho."

"Good evening, Isane-san," the raven-haired woman replied softly. Her deep blue eyes took in the sight of Isane's ruffled state and she questioned, "Isane-san, why are you...why do you look as if you've been in a scuffle?"

"Oh, Itegumo-kun started tickling me to make me laugh," explained the grey-eyed female. She smiled sheepishly and dusted herself off a bit, hoping that made some difference. She failed to catch the slightly brighter look in her taicho's eyes and by the time she looked up, the serene look was back in place. Itegumo, however, noticed and began to chuckle. His wielder asked, "What is it, Ite-kun?"

"Nothing, nothing," replied the white-and-blue-haired man. He stretched out, staring at the pure black hakama that rode low on his narrow hips. A cyan obi was tied at the top of the hakama. Gently, he toyed with the fabric, muttering, "Clothing is strange. It's _confining_."

"You're funny," murmured the gentle, low voice of Minazuki. He smiled softly at the former polar bear and eased himself down beside the other man. The two zanpakuto watched as their wielders began a polite conversation. Eventually, the foam-haired man whispered, "They're lying."

"Not really," the other replied. He looked over at his slender counterpart and blushed, noticing that the yukata was sliding down Minazuki's shoulders to reveal his slightly muscled chest. "They're just...being shy. Or they're unaware."

"Re-chan is never unaware," the red-eyed zanpakuto announced quietly. He looked down at the ground, watching as snow danced along the wind to fall in with the mass. "She's just...unsure for once. She's never felt quite this deeply for anyone else in a long while. And the intensity of it scares her a little. My Re-chan is actually...quite a little child inside." He smiled wistfully. "She never was a child, really. She had to grow up fast."

"But..." Itegumo was cut off as a thin finger pressed softly against his lips.

Minazuki grinned and whispered, "Shh..." He pointed at the pair of women.

"Unohana-taicho...I...I wanted to thank you. For yesterday," the silver-haired lieutentant said. She smiled softly and hesitantly glanced at the raven-haired woman. Royal blue eyes were set on the taller female, watching every little movement, every change in expression. Blood rushed to Isane's cheeks and she gave a quiet squeak of embarrassment, turning her face away from the beautiful woman beside her. Gently, a hand cupped her opposite cheek and turned her head; Retsu smiled up at the other shinigami. "Uno-"

"Isane-kun." The blue-eyed medic whispered, "Happy birthday." Then she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to Isane's. Their lips stayed connected for a few minutes, softly shifting and getting slightly deeper. Slowly, hesitantly, the women pulled away from one another. Their breaths were hot and heavy between them, causing Unohana to stagger slightly as she reeled from the intensity. Isane reached out, wrapping her arms around her taicho's waist; they were unsteady, holding one another, being so close. Finally, the onyx-haired taicho pulled back and stood, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "I'll see you back at the barracks, Isane-kun..."

"Y-yes, Unoha-" A cough interrupted the fukutaicho.

"Call me Retsu, please...I believe that kiss made us a bit closer than simply taicho and fukutaicho, yes?" The plaintive look in her royal blue eyes was convincing enough.

"Yes, Retsu-chan. Should I...should I see you back to your inner world?" Minazuki stood and shook his head, smiling softly at the silver-haired woman. He waved and turned to go when Isane cried, "Ite-kun, wait!"

A pair of strong, muscular arms slid around Minazuki's shoulders and the foam-haired zanpakuto blushed, turning his head to look over his shoulder. "Come back? So we can actually talk?" Itegumo bit his lower lip, looking bashful. "I've never met another zanpakuto...expecially you. You're so...interesting. Please?"

With a playful grin, Minazuki leaned back and kissed the other sword softly on the cheek. "Of course, Ite-kun. Plus, your wielder is fun to watch when she tries to be gentlemanly."

"H-hey!" protested Isane.

"Minazuki, play nice," scolded Retsu. She giggled but placed a gentle hand in the small of her fukutaicho's back and whispered, "Later, Isane-kun."

"L-later," the enamored female stammered, "Retsu-chan..."

[X]

_"Love is an interesting thing. It comes and goes but sometimes, when it lasts, it comes from the most unexpected source..."_

"Itegumo-kun, stop trying to be philisophical," Isane chided gently.

The former polar bear snapped, "But it's _true_!"

[X]


End file.
